Demonstrating safe technique on a real tree is an essential part of completing training in manual tree felling. However, sourcing appropriate trees can be challenging for most registered training organisations (RTOs), creating a barrier to training skills that are crucial across a wide range of industries, including development, construction, landscaping, parks and gardens and forestry.
Skills Insight and ForestWorks are undertaking this project to develop a mechanism for sourcing trees for delivery of the tree felling units. In consultation with stakeholders, we will investigate ways to establish partnerships between RTOs and organisations that can facilitate access to trees, such as forestry companies, councils, landowners, national parks services and other relevant stakeholders.
Our team will consult to understand existing partnerships, practices and regulations relating to tree allocation, as well as the challenges associated with each. From here, we will develop protocols and guidelines to support partnerships for identifying, allocating, and managing trees for training purposes, which will be tested with a small selection of RTOs and stakeholders. Implementation support materials and a virtual workshop will be developed to help roll out the protocol to a broader cohort of stakeholders. Our team will follow up with participants to assess the effectiveness of the protocol and produce a report outlining these findings.
The project aims to support continued delivery of the tree felling units, so that all workers are equipped with the skills to safely fell trees using a chainsaw.
Opportunities to contribute will be available throughout the project via this website.
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Timeline
Project team
Belinda Tierney
General Manager
ForestWorks
[email protected]
Rob Stowell
Project Consultant
[email protected]
Project background
This project follows the 2023-24 Tree Felling Project which updated the units for basic, intermediate and advanced tree felling skills. A key finding of the project was the need for additional support to help RTOs access trees for training and assessment. Another project is also underway to investigate potential pathways into tree felling units to ensure learners have the appropriate skills prior to enrolment. See the Pathway to Tree Felling Skills Project for more information.
This project aims to address challenges in sourcing trees for training and assessment of the basic, intermediate and advanced tree felling units.
A Project Working Group has been formed with representatives from various stakeholder groups to provide guidance on the proposed Tree Allocation Partnerships Protocol. This protocol is designed to establish a broad framework that enables registered training organisations (RTOs) to collaborate with tree/land owners including forestry companies, plantation managers, government departments, and other relevant stakeholders in sourcing trees for training and assessment purposes.
The Project Working Group met three times during May 2025 and has developed an initial draft of the Protocol. Amongst other things, the Protocol will outline the roles and responsibilities of tree and landowners, as well as RTOs, in accessing trees for training and assessment purposes. The project team is currently investigating several issues that have arisen during the development of the draft, including matters related to insurance, the management of the Protocol, and the final wording of the document. Following investigation of the issues, a working draft of the Protocol will be reviewed by the Project Working Group before pilot testing can commence.
Subscribe for updates
If you would like to receive updates about this project, please subscribe to our newsletter and select ‘forestry and timber’ as one of your industries of interest.
Project background
This project follows the 2023-24 Tree Felling Project which updated the units for basic, intermediate and advanced tree felling skills. A key finding of the project was the need for additional support to help RTOs access trees for training and assessment. Another project is also underway to investigate potential pathways into tree felling units to ensure learners have the appropriate skills prior to enrolment. See the Pathway to Tree Felling Skills Project for more information.
A draft Tree Allocation Partnerships Protocol and a supporting template agreement have been developed, with the opportunity for registered training organisations (RTOs) and tree/landowners and managers to be involved in pilot testing.
Following a call for expressions of interest, three pilot sites were identified: Yea (Victoria), Mount Gambier (South Australia), and Brisbane (Queensland). At each site, an RTO partnered with a tree/landowner or manager to test the Protocol and agreement under real-world conditions. The three pilots were conducted in November-December 2025. Pilot participants included public and private RTOs, a small landowner, a government agency, a community recreational and sports organisation, and a commercial forestry company.
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If you would like to receive updates about this project, please subscribe to our newsletter and select ‘forestry and timber’ as one of your industries of interest.
The pilot tested how the Protocol can be used to establish practical agreements between RTOs and land or tree owners, assess support materials developed for Protocol implementation, and identify potential refinements to the Protocol, template agreement, and support materials. A report on the pilot program outcomes is currently being finalised and will be available on this page shortly.
The draft Protocol was developed in close partnership with registered training organisations (RTOs), tree/landowners and managers, and other stakeholders, supported by legal advice from Minter Ellison. It has been designed to establish a broad framework that enables RTOs to collaborate with tree/landowners including forestry companies, plantation managers, government departments, and other relevant stakeholders in sourcing trees for training and assessment purposes. The Protocol was approved for testing by the Project Working Group, comprised of members from various industry sectors, including arboriculture, forestry, emergency services, and land management.
Next steps
Following finalisation of the Protocol and template agreement, taking into account the outcomes of the pilot program, a training session will be conducted for RTOs. The purpose of this training session is to build the capability and confidence of RTO staff in applying the Protocol to secure lawful, safe, culturally respectful and practical access to trees for tree-felling training and assessment.
This training will enable RTOs to transition from ad-hoc arrangements to structured, collaborative partnerships with tree and landowners or managers.
This stage has not yet commenced.
At the finalisation stage, final checks are conducted and the outcomes of the project are submitted to the Department for consideration. Following this, outcomes are published or enacted.
This Skills Insight JSC project is being managed with the support of ForestWorks as part of their collaborative partnership with Skills Insight. ForestWorks has an enduring and strong connection working with the forestry, timber, paper, fibre and furnishing industries and have been engaged by Skills Insight to deliver this project in partnership.